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How I Got Here with Dreena WhitfieldHosted by Dreena Whitfield, How I Got Here dives into the stories behind todays most inspiring entrepreneurs, creators, and leaders. Author: Dreena Whitfield
Hosted by Dreena Whitfield, How I Got Here dives into the stories behind todays most inspiring entrepreneurs, creators, and leaders. Each conversation explores the moments that shaped them, the risks they took, the pivots they made, and the purpose that fuels their next chapter. Its honest, insightful, and deeply human. howigotherewdreenaw.substack.com Language: en Genres: Business, Careers, Entrepreneurship Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Amber Guyton on Soulful Maximalism, Pricing Your Worth, and Why Only 2% of Interior Designers Are Black | How I Got Here
Episode 9
Wednesday, 4 March, 2026
Amber Guyton left corporate financial services, built Blessed Little Bungalow into a full-service design brand, and learned that pricing your worth and protecting your peace are the real work. Today she's one of only 2% of interior designers who are Black, with licensing partnerships at Home Goods, TJ Maxx, and Mitchell Black, celebrity clients, and a design philosophy rooted in soulful maximalism.Key Takeaways:You do not have to scale to be successful; a boutique business built on alignment, creative freedom, and strong values is a powerful model.Only 2% of the interior design industry is Black, and showing up authentically in that space is both representation and strategy.Pricing your worth starts with tracking your time; undercharging does not just hurt you, it affects the entire industry.An ADHD diagnosis, anxiety, and depression do not disqualify you from building something meaningful; they just mean some days the building looks different.In this conversation with Dreena Whitfield, Amber opens up about the leap from corporate to creative entrepreneurship, the imposter syndrome that comes without formal design training, and how soulful maximalism became her signature. She talks about what happened when a hobby started feeling like work, why she chose a boutique model over empire-building, and the invisible battles of entrepreneurship, including a recent ADHD diagnosis.This episode covers: decorating her first home in a single week, growing from $250 e-design mood boards to thousands, how licensing partnerships found her before she went looking, navigating an industry where representation barely exists, the heartbreak of a client relationship gone wrong, choosing creative freedom over brand scripts, designing spaces for first-generation wealth builders, and the legacy she hopes to leave behind.If you're a woman navigating the leap from corporate to creative entrepreneurship, a designer wrestling with imposter syndrome or pricing, an entrepreneur building while managing mental health, or a first-generation wealth builder who wants spaces that reflect your identity, this episode is for you.About Amber Guyton: Designer, creative director, and founder of Blessed Little Bungalow. University of Georgia MBA. Former corporate marketing executive. Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, HGTV Magazine, and Forbes. Licensing partnerships with Home Goods, TJ Maxx, and Mitchell Black, with a bedding line on the way. Speaker at High Point Market.Follow Amber Guyton at @blessedlittlebungalowWatch the full video episode on Substack: howigotherewdreenaw.substack.com Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@howigotherewdreenawSubscribe to How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield for more conversations on purpose, leadership, and reinvention. (00:00) - Meet Amber Guyton: The Interior Designer Building Blessed Little Bungalow With Soul (01:36) - How did Amber Guyton know it was time to leave corporate and pursue interior design full-time? (04:14) - How did the pandemic push Amber Guyton from side hustle to full-time design business? (05:47) - Why did Amber Guyton choose a boutique design business over scaling? (07:43) - What happens when a creative side hustle becomes a full-time business and stops feeling fun? (09:52) - How did Blessed Little Bungalow start from decorating one house in a week? (12:34) - What is it like being a Black interior designer in an industry that is only 2% Black? (14:37) - How did Amber Guyton build a design career without formal interior design training? (15:42) - What is soulful maximalism and how does it center Black art and identity in interior design? (18:25) - How does designing for first-generation wealth builders differ from traditional interior design? (20:32) - How should interior designers price their work when there is no industry blueprint? (26:24) - How did Amber Guyton land licensing deals with Home Goods, TJ Maxx, and Mitchell Black? (29:44) - What is the long-term vision for Blessed Little Bungalow beyond interior design? (34:23) - How do interior designers manage ADHD, anxiety, and depression while running a business? (39:07) - How do you protect creative standards when clients cut budgets or projects fall apart? (41:26) - What does Amber Guyton want her legacy in interior design to be? (43:40) - Quick-fire questions and closing
